Minutes:
P Jones, Service Director, Local Services advised that over the previous 10 days teams from both Highways and Neighbourhood Services had worked on a 3 shift basis for 24 hours each day during very difficult winter conditions. There had been significant snowfall and some very challenging severe weather. All operators under winter services contracts had been deployed. The focus had been to keep the primary road networks open and only when work on these had been completed work had been undertaken on secondary routes and footpaths. The primary routes with the highest footfall were prioritised with work also being undertake at Covid vaccination and testing sites. Only once these had been completed areas with steep slopes or shopping centres within the priority 2 group had been treated. Of the 218 CRM requests logged, 82 had been for the North of the County with 10 in Berwick with 28 formal requests for footpath gritting of which 3 had been in the Berwick area. These figures did not include any direct requests to Officers.
Councillor Castle advised that he had received emails complimenting the service provided in the Alnwick area and help had been provided in response to requests in certain areas. The Town Council had worked with the County Council to agree priority routes to be gritted and this had worked well.
Councillor Hill in acknowledging the hard work undertaken by staff stated that she had received numerous complaints from residents in Berwick with residents being unable to leave their homes due to the lack of gritting of footpaths. She highlighted that the Ranger which had previously been used in Berwick had been moved to Alnwick and she had been assured that the new contractors would be able to provide an improved service, which had not been the case. Officers clarified that the Ranger was not used to clear footpaths and that the new vehicle deployed in Berwick was able to navigate the tight streets like the Ranger but the gritter capacity was four times greater which allowed improved efficiency. During the extreme weather staff within Neighbourhood Services had all been deployed on gritting footpaths, which as previously stated, included Covid vaccination and testing centres, inclines and the town centre, it was only when these areas had been cleared that the teams were able to be deployed onto gritting of other priority 2 footways, however this would not include clearing ice and snow from all footways within estates across the town as there were not the resources available to do this and work had to be prioritised to the main routes. . Councillor Hill welcomed the offer for officers to work with the Town Council to review and agree priority routes for gritting as had been done in Alnwick.
In response to a query regarding residents clearing footpaths and any possibility liability if they did so, it was clarified that the clearing of footpaths by residents was encouraged and volunteer snow wardens who did go out to do this worked well in parts of the County.
Councillor Bridgett stated that staff within his area had worked exceptionally hard and deserved credit for this. The Ranger had actually been out of action and staff had managed without this resource. He highlighted that a resident had actually gone to the local depot and abused staff for gritting as the person did not want salt to be carried into their home. He considered that this was unacceptable behaviour and thanked staff for their work and patience.
Councillor Thorne thanked all concerned for the great service within his area, however he highlighted that a stretch of road from Pauperhaugh to Embleton Terrace with a steep gradient had not been gritted. Officers would investigate this.
The Chair thanked officers advising that overall it had been a very good performance.